FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 8, 2018

Contact: Lucy Dagneau, (860) 966-2845

(BOSTON, MA) – Statement of Diane Felicio, interim executive director of Community Catalyst, regarding regulations issued yesterday by the Trump administration.

“Even after voters cited health care as the number one election issue and sent a record number of women to Congress on Tuesday, Trump administration officials continue their attacks on health care by issuing three rules designed to make it harder for people to get the health care they need.

“The first two rules, issued in final form, would allow more employers to deny contraceptive coverage to their employees by citing religious or moral objections. Under these rules, the medical needs and religious or moral beliefs of women take a backseat to an employer’s beliefs on birth control.

“This is yet another attempted attack on the nearly nine in ten women who will use contraception at some point in their lifetimes and – thanks to the Affordable Care Act – the more than 55 million women who have access to birth control without co-payments. The Trump administration’s first attempt at issuing these rules was blocked by the courts and some of those injunctions remain in effect. This second attempt should also be ruled unacceptable.

“The third rule, which is proposed and will be subject to public comment, would impose burdensome requirements on health insurance plans that cover abortion care, as well as on the people enrolled in these plans. While the Trump administration will claim that the purpose of this process is to ensure compliance to the Hyde Amendment, the true purpose of this rule is to create additional administrative burdens to discourage health plans from covering abortion.

“These regulations from the Trump administration blatantly ignore the message sent this week – voters are ready to move on from attacks on their health and health care. We stand by the women of this country and reject this cynical, political attack.”

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About Community Catalyst
Community Catalyst is a national, non-profit consumer advocacy organization founded in 1998 with the belief that affordable quality health care should be accessible to everyone. We work in partnership with national, state and local organizations, policymakers and philanthropic foundations to ensure consumer interests are represented wherever important decisions about health and the health system are made: in communities, statehouses and on Capitol Hill. For more information, visit www.communitycatalyst.org. Follow us on Twitter @HealthPolicyHub.